“No politics at work!”

“How many times have I told you? No politics at work! The Country’s divide is too deep right now. We’ve discussed this very topic many times. What is it going to take for you to listen?” Adele demanded while staring fiercely at her wife.

  “Adele, you just don’t understand, she said” Adeles’s hand came up to stop the rambling; the stare she added sent a chill rippling through Destiny. But she needed to make her wife understand, so she attempted to explain once again. “You have to listen, and I did not start it. Donna said we don’t know who will be in office in January. Like, she really believes somehow they rigged the election. Who are they? I don’t know. I couldn’t stay quiet, and I just couldn’t.” Destiny added with irritation.

    “So, you decided to break our rules and defy me because Donna is a conspiracy theorist. Is that what you want me to hear because I’m listening.” Adele stood hands on hips, eyes boring down on Destiny, a look that always made her squirm, and right now was no different.

     The need to look away was real, but she had to make Adele understand, and she couldn’t give in. “Come on, Adele, I’m sorry, I didn’t defy you, well I didn’t think of it that way. I was just so frustrated. I couldn’t keep quiet. The words just came spilling out.”  “Why am I the bad guy. She was the one lying.”

     Shaking her head, Adele sympathized with her wife, but at the same time, they have had this discussion far too often. “First of all, you are not a bad guy, and apparently, she doesn’t know the truth, so she wasn’t lying. She’s just misinformed.”   “You, on the other hand, know the rules and chose to ignore them to prove a point. Now go and put your nose in the corner.” Adele raised her eyebrows, just as Destiny was about to object.

      Defeated, Destiny sulked off to find her spot. These past four years filled her with conflicting emotions. Although she strongly felt everyone had a right to their own opinion, they often clashed with her sense of right and wrong. Now that this insanity was hopefully coming to an end, all the heartache was becoming too much, and she could no longer hold her tongue.

      In the corner, tears leaked out. It hurt that Adele didn’t even try to understand and wouldn’t take her side. She didn’t care so much about the spanking; it was her wife wanting her just to keep quiet in the face of a lie. That was what hurt so much.

      Fifteen minutes later, Adele called out. “Destiny, come here, please.” she watched as her wife turned but didn’t so much as look up as she walked over. Her body language presented more hurt than submission. It was subtle, but Adele was very aware of her wife’s emotional quirks. Once she arrived at her side, Adele watched for a minute, trying to gauge her next move. Pulling the little girl over her lap right now would cause more hurt, so she stood up and wrapped her strong arms tightly around the small frame.

     This unexpected gesture threw Destiny off balance, and she tried to pull away only to be held tighter. Adele murmured, “Don’t you pull away from me, little one.” squeezing a little. “You and I are going to talk. I may have missed something, and I want to know what you’re thinking.”

     “I don’t want to talk.” Destiny pouted.

     Reaching two-fingers under the little one’s chin, Adele lifted her head until their eyes met. “Let’s sit on the couch; whether you want to or not, we will talk; I need to know what is going on in this beautiful brain of yours.” Receiving a slight nod, Adele grabbed hold of Destiny’s hand, intertwining their fingers before guiding her to sit at her side on the couch. Destiny tried to pull away once more, but Adele, with an arm solidly around her shoulder, encouraged her closer.

     “Okay, What am I missing. I feel you broke a rule and deserve a spanking, but I’m sensing you disagree. Please explain what’s going on.” Adele was sincere in her confusion. She had no problem spanking as a correction, and it was rare that Destiny didn’t willingly submit.

     Destiny stared down at their joined fingers before quietly speaking. “I, um, Adele, Why couldn’t you just take my side? I mean, I know I’m not supposed to bring up politics, but I didn’t. She started it and well, what she said was wrong! Can’t I say anything? It’s not fair.” Destiny had tears running down her cheeks when she looked up into Adele’s eyes.

     Seeing the hurt, Adele scooped her wife into her arms. “Ooh, my baby, you are right to have an opinion, and I know it’s hard to hold back right now. Although I wish everyone would be decent about what’s going on, there’s just too much misinformation circulating.” kissing Destiny on the forehead, she added. “Maybe I’m expecting too much. I guess as long as you keep it civil, then go ahead and share your opinion but no fighting.”

     Destiny was momentarily stunned. She whispered, “so, I’m not in trouble?” She was more surprised when she received a nod, then cautiously added, “um, Adele, does that mean you’re not going to spank me?”

     “Well, I guess not unless you need me to,” Adele added that knowing her wife sometimes needed that attention to bring her emotions back in check.

     Destiny sat there quietly, playing with her wife’s fingers, fascinated as they intertwined with hers. She groaned slightly before crawling off her wife’s lap and placing herself over it. Immediately a wave of peace claimed her and her body relaxed. Adele smiled; she loved this little girl, and if she needed to be centered, that’s what she’d do.